Provence Food and Wine Tour

Welcome to the west of Provence! Arrive to Hotel Domaine des Clos, located around 12 miles from Arles and 18 miles from Avignon. In the quiet park of a former winery, with old trees and a beautiful pool, you can unwind and relax from the moment you get there. Hosts Sandrine and Davide Ausset welcome you with an aperitif in the evening. Get to know your fellow travellers and your tour guide over dinner at the accommodation, with traditional local dishes from Provence.

In Nîmes, visit the impressive market halls which are more than 130 years old. Even today, they are the living heart of the city and a place where the traditions of Provence are maintained. Local idioms, recipes, and good humour are available for free! For lunch, try some specialties in the market hall bar that Bert buys during your tour. After some free time, immerse yourself in the Roman past of Nîmes with a guide in the afternoon. There are numerous well-preserved buildings from Roman times, the most famous being the amphitheatre and the Maison Carrée. For dinner, you will visit a restaurant in Nîmes, which overlooks the amphitheatre that is illuminated in the evening.

In the morning, a rich breakfast awaits you and can be enjoyed on the terrace in the garden when the weather is nice. Indulge in croissants, café au lait, fresh fruit, and savory treats. Sandrine will have some homemade products to try, such as spiced bread and her own jams. After breakfast, visit Francis, who grows over 100 different types of figs on 12 hectares of land in the heart of Provence. In September, you can eat them directly from the tree; if the spring was very warm, you might be able to try them as early as June. At Francis’, you will not only find jams, but also chutneys, fig mustard, figs with balsamic vinegar, and dried figs of several varieties. He has been caring for just this one fruit for more than 40 years, and searches all over the world for varieties he doesn't know yet to further his research and test new recipes. Francis doesn't use any chemical fertilizers or sprays, so his product is not only extremely tasty, but also digestible. A great host and conversationalist, he will tell you a lot about the history of Southern France over the past few decades. For lunch, enjoy a big picnic under the fig trees. In the afternoon, continue on to the Alpilles, a fascinating small limestone mountain range between Avignon and Arles. In 2007, the Alpilles were declared a regional nature park and placed under protection. Wine is grown here, and the southern side is one of the most important olive growing regions in France. The oils from the Vallée des Baux have a long tradition and are famous for their excellent quality. Visit a young couple who look after 6 hectares of olive trees and are currently converting to organic farming. They produce two excellent oils, one à l'ancient—with black, fully ripe olives—and a modern one, with slightly unripe green olives. After the visit, they invite us to dinner at their home, where you will get to know their olive oils in various ways in the kitchen, along with excellent wines from the Alpilles.

Today, you head to Avignon, where you meet the chef Jonathan Chiri. He will guide you through the impressive market hall, where you will shop and then cook a Provençal meal with him. Jonathan has worked in top restaurants in the USA, France, and Germany. After many years of travelling, he settled in Avignon, where he opened the restaurant Cuisine Centr'Halles in the market hall. With him, you will prepare, among other things, monkfish and duck breast marinated with lavender. After enjoying your home-cooked lunch, there will be free time in the afternoon and evening to explore Avignon.

After breakfast, you’ll visit the beautiful town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence on market day. This is the place where Vincent van Gogh spent the last days of his life in 1889-90, and where Nostradamus was born. More than 100 retailers and producers from the region offer their food. Everything you could want from a French weekly market is here, with countless cheese stalls, fruit and vegetables, meat, sausages, terrines, jams and preserves, baked goods of all kinds, fish, seafood, and much more. Shop for a Provençal picnic that you’ll enjoy together at the property this evening! Enjoy lunch in a small restaurant in Saint-Rémy and then take a tour of the town. When you return to the hotel, you have free time to relax in the beautiful garden or around the pool. In the evening, prepare your Provençal picnic with the products you purchased at the market, which you can enjoy with delicious local wine.

In the morning, you will visit the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct, along with an interesting museum that clearly explains how the Romans organized the water supply to their cities. The bridge over the River Gard is of impressive height—almost 50 meters—and is one of the best-preserved bridge structures from the ancient Roman world. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. After a small lunch, continue to Chateauneuf du Pape to visit Chateau Montredon. The vineyards here are littered with thick, round pebbles called galets roulés. It is difficult to till the soils covered by stones, but they provide good drainage and heat is retained in the soil at night. In the evening, Bert takes you to a friend's restaurant in the region, where you can try the various wines from Chateau Montredon to accompany the menu.

Today, you'll head to the Michelin-starred restaurant La Chassagnette, which cooks mostly from its own garden in incredible variations, textures, and colours. Meet the manager of the restaurant's gardens, Claude Pernix, who is a friend of Bert’s. Claude takes the time to show you the gardens and answer your questions. Enjoy an impressive vegetable menu for lunch in the Chassagnette. In the afternoon, Bert will take you on a longer tour through the unique landscape of the Camargue. In the evening, you will arrive in Arles to spend a convivial final evening on the terrace of a small wine bar.

After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to Provence. We would be happy to provide you with suggestions if you wish to extend your trip.